The present invention relates to edible compositions employed to coat foods to retain moisture in the foods and/or which may be employed to inhibit migration of moisture between components of a heterogeneous food product which have differing moisture contents.
Various edible coating compositions are known and have been proposed to provide moisture barriers, including coatings which are prepared from various protein/fat combinations which may take a form of an emulsion. Illustrative of such are Verhoef, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,935,251 and PCT Patent Application, International Publication No. WO 86/00501.
Verhoef, et al., disclose a moisture barrier in a form of an emulsion, which contains from 40 to 60 weight percent oil or fat, 40 to 60 weight percent water, from 1 to 10 weight percent film-forming substance, which may be a material rich in protein, and up to 5 weight percent additives, which may include an emulsifier.
The PCT Application discloses a food product moisture barrier which contains a film-forming carbohydrate and/or protein polymer and a lipid layer adhered to the film-forming layer, which may be prepared in a form of an emulsion, which is spread on a surface, dried and then subsequently placed on a food product.
In addition, Durst, U.S. Pat. No. 4,031,261, discloses a stable dispersion of a film-forming substance, which may include a protein or protein isolate, and a fat, wherein the film-forming substance is first plasticized to form a saturated solution of the film-former to which a fat then is added. The dispersion, which comprises encapsulated fat, then is incorporated into a beverage composition.